Load-cell mounting for mill-roll chock



LOAD-CELL MOUNTING FOR MILL-ROLL CHOCK Filed May 11, 1960 INVENTOR REl/Vl-IARZ' P/ELL a, fiend/$625M Attorney 3,091,961 LOAD-CELL MOUNTING FOR MILL-ROLL CHOCK Reinhart Piell, 1137 Maple Ave., Cornwells Heights, Pa. Filed May 11, 1960, Ser. No. 28,438 2 Claims. (Cl. 73-141) This invention relates to load cells and, in particular to the mounting of a cell in a socket in the top of a rolling-mill chock. The invention is an improvement on that of the James E. McNamara application Serial No. 767,603, filed October 16, 1958, now Patent No. 3,049,004.

It has been proposed to provide the upper chocks of rolling mills with load cells by boring a socket in the top thereof and securing a cell therein by a closure fitted over the socket and secured to the chock. Difficulty has has been experienced, however, in making and maintaining the desired preliminary adjustment of the cell when so installed. Accordingly, it is the object of my invention to provide a cell which can be quickly and easily adjusted to the desired initial condition and is free from erratic changes in such adjustment. More specifically, I provide a load cell having self-alining thrust bearings at opposite ends and a closure for the cell-receiving socket in the chock, having an adjusting screw extending upwardly therethrough so as to be accessible from the top of the chock.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompanying drawing illustrating the present preferred embodiment. In the drawing, the single FIGURE is a partial vertical section through a chock having the invention incorporated therein, taken along the axis of the socket bored into the top thereof.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the upper portion of a rolling-mill chock has a socket 11 bored downwardly from the top thereof, adapted to accommodate a conventional strain-gage assembly or load cell 12. Cell '12 has strain gages 12a connected thereto and leads extend therefrom through a hole in the chock intersecting bore 11. The end of the mill screw for adjusting the chock vertically in the mill housing is indicated at 14 and a Washer or bearing block -15 is disposed between it and the chock.

Cell 12 includes a tapped sleeve 16 at each end. Screws 17 and 17' having spherical convex heads are threaded into the sleeves. The screw 17' in the lower sleeve has its head disposed in a spherical concave recess in the head of a screw 18, threaded in a tapped hole 18a at the bottom of bore 11 and coaxial therewith. Screws 17' and 18 coact to form a self-alim'ng thrust bearing B. Similarly at the top of cell 12, the head of screw 17 fits in a spherical concave recess in the head of a screw 19 forming a self-alining thrust bearing T.

Screw 19 is threaded into a tapped hole centrally of a closure or plug 20. The closure is removably secured in place over bore 11 by screws 21. The lower end of the plug has a circumferential groove therein provided with a seal ring 22. The entering end of the shank of Patented June 4, 1963 screw 19 is slotted at 19a, protrudes above the bottom of a recess 23 formed in the top face of closure 20 and is fitted with a lock nut 24-. The head of screw 19 fits snugly and rotatably in a bore 25 in the bottom of closure 20.

As will doubtless be evident, the cell '12 is installed when the screw 14 is backed off and washer 15 and closure 20 are removed from the chock or when the chock is bodily removed from the mill housing. After screw 18 has been turned home (by means of a socket Wrench), the cell having screws 17 and 17 threaded in its upper and lower ends is inserted in bore 1 1 and closure 20 is set in place. Screw 19 is turned up so that, when screws 21 are drawn down tight, it will not engage the head of screw 17. The lock nut 24 is backed 011 and screw 19 is turned by the slot in its entering end, to effect the desired initial or no-load setting of cell 12. When this has been effected, lock nut 24 is again tightened. Washer 15 is then replaced and screw 1 1 is turned down to hold the chock in proper position. The working load on the roll journaled in the chock causes slight compression of the latter which causes further deformation of cell 12 and its strain gages, beyond that incident to the inital adjustment. By this means, the amount of the rolling load may be determined.

The advantage of my improved load-cell mounting is that the initial or no-load adjustment may be varied without removing the cell from the chock, merely by turning screw 19 with a screw driver. In addition, selfalining bearings B and T prevent any distortion of the cell caused by rnisalinement and insure that it is subject only to axial force.

Although I have disclosed herein the preferred embodiment of my invention, I intend to cover as well any change or modification therein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the incention.

I claim:

1. Means for mounting an elongated load cell in a socket extending downwardly into the top of a mill-roll chock and having a counterbored shoulder adjacent the upper end, comprising a thrust bearing for the lower end of the cell at the bottom of said socket, a closure for the socket seated on said shoulder and lying below the top of the chock, and a thrust bearing for the upper end of the cell carried by said closure and exposed on its lower face, said last-mentioned bearing including an adjusting screw extending upwardly through the closure so as to be accessible from above the chock.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, characterized by said screw being a cap screw threaded into a hole in said closure from the lower face thereof, whereby the head of the cap screw applies an initial load to the cell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,106 Lorig et a1. Aug. 4, 1936 2,576,417 Ruge Nov. 27, 1951 2,703,008 Seljos et al. Mar. 1, 1955 2,962,275 Thurston Nov. 29, 1960 

1. MEANS FOR MOUNTING AN ELONGATED LOAD CELL IN A SOCKET EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO THE TOP OF A MILL-ROLL CHOCK AND HAVING A COUNTERBORED SHOULDER ADJACENT THE UPPER END, COMPRISING A THRUST BEARING FOR THE LOWER END OF THE CELL AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID SOCKET, A CLOSURE FOR THE SOCKET SEATED ON SAID SHOULDER AND LYING BELOW THE TOP OF THE CHOCK, AND A THRUST BEARING FOR THE UPPER END OF THE CELL CARRIED BY SAID CLOSURE AND EXPOSED ON ITS LOWER FACE, SAID LAST-MENTIONED BEARING INCLUDING AN ADJUSTING SCREW EXTENDING UPWARDLY THROUGH THE CLOSURE SO AS TO BE ACCESSIBLE FROM ABOVE THE CHOCK. 